Game of Thrones season 8 premiere: Why is Bran waiting for Jaime Lannister?

When Bran Stark told Samwell Tarly that he was waiting outside for “an old friend,” we didn’t think Jaime Lannister would be the person he was anticipating.

The Game of Thrones season 8 premiere was full of surprising moments and reunions, though no one expected that Bran would be most eager to reunite with Jaime Lannister—the very man who pushed him from the top of a tower during the pilot episode of the series.

When Samwell Tarly inquires as to why Bran is waiting near the entrance to Winterfell, it’s unclear who Bran is anticipating. He tells Sam that he’s “waiting for an old friend,” but as the Three Eyed Raven, Bran has few people he’d call “friends”—making the statement a bizarre one from the beginning.

Things become even stranger, however, when Jaime Lannister sneaks through the gates of Winterfell and Bran eyes him directly. It immediately becomes clear that this is the person Bran is waiting for, but what could he possibly want from the man who’s responsible for everything that’s happened to him over the past seven seasons?

Anyone else would be unhappy to see Jaime again, but Bran seems determined to speak with the man. We know he isn’t emotional anymore, so it’s unlikely that he’ll lash out or blame Jaime for his inability to walk.

If the Three Eyed Raven version of Bran wishes to speak to Jaime, though, the man must have some part to play in the future of the Seven Kingdoms—something that’s made Bran think Jaime’s worth spending his time on. And from his introduction to Daenerys, we know Bran isn’t exactly fond of wasting any time this season.

It’s possible that Bran is simply eager to inform the others that Cersei isn’t coming to their aid—a fact he probably already knows from his visions—but that doesn’t explain why he’d need Jaime there to break the news. Many of the Starks and Northerners already believe in Bran’s strange abilities, so any information that he’d gather from being the Three Eyed Raven wouldn’t need Jaime’s support.

There’s also the possibility that Bran might want to confront Jaime about what happened between them. Greeting the man with anger or offering him forgiveness, however, seem too sentimental for the Three Eyed Raven.

So, what does Bran want from Jaime? Jaime seemed just as surprised as viewers by the boy’s willingness to approach him. Perhaps Jaime will play more of a role in the final battles for Westeros than fans initially believed. His redemption arc has been leading him to do something big, and Bran might have an idea of what that is.

We’ll find out what Bran has to say to Jaime during the second episode of Game of Thrones‘ final season, which airs April 21.

Even if Bran has forgiven the man, it’s sure to be an uncomfortable moment between the two of them, with plenty of references to the beginning of the series.

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. 

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